Connected: The Hidden Science of Everything

 

Latif Nasser is probably best known as a current host of Radiolab, WNYC's celebrated broadcast/podcast program. 

Before that, he hosted the Netflix documentary series, Connected: The Hidden Science of Everything. I think it's safe now to say that Connected was a limited series, and—like many Netflix properties—season 1 is as far as it will go. But we got six solid episodes to enjoy. Each episode stands on its own. And each delivers unexpected connections. 

They were released in the midst of the lockdowns, so you might have been glued to Tiger King at the time. The title hews close to that of James Burke's classic, Connections. So I was willing to give it a go. 

And now I have questions.

CONNECTIONS: THE HIDDEN SCIENCE OF EVERYTHING at TPT

1. SURVEILLANCE at TPT

Ever feel like you're being watched? Well, you may be right. Latif explores the sometimes cute, often creepy ways surveillance pervades our lives. Segments: Veeries, Piggies, Selfies, Sweeties.

2. POOP at TPT Link

Sure, it's smelly, dirty and gross. But excrement is more complex than we think, holding many secrets, many problems and, potentially, many solutions. Segments: Cave Poop, City Poop, River Poop, Poop in the Wild, Ocean Poop, Antibacterial Poop, Space Poop.

3. DUST  at TPT

A speck of dust seems insignificant, but a swarm of it can do everything from generating oxygen to tempering hurricanes to fertilizing the rainforest. Segments: Desert, Air, Ocean, Tide, Rainforest.

4. DIGITS at TPT

Latif explores a law of numerical probability that applies to classic music, contemporary social media, tax fraud and perhaps the entire universe. Segments: Common Logarithms, Your Taxes, Your Favorites Song, Your Vote, Your Followers, Your Photos, Your World.

5. CLOUDS at TPT

How does the cloud above your head connect to the cloud that stores your data? The answer involves a shipwreck and a shark-proof garden hose. Segments: Forecasting the Clouds, Computing the Clouds, Following the Clouds, Governing by Cloud, The Undersea Cloud, Killing Clouds.

6. NUKES at TPT

They may be our worst creations. But nuclear bombs also taught us things about ourselves and our world that we couldn't have learned any other way. Segments: The First Test, Hiroshima, The Films, The Tests in Our World, The Tests in Us, The Test to Test for Tests.